hypocritical

hypocritical — adjective

1. used about a person, their words, or their actions when the way they behave does

1.adjectiveC2
Definition

used about a person, their words, or their actions when the way they behave does not match the moral values they say they believe in — for example, calling for honesty while lying to others themselves.

Example

It is hypocritical of a politician to demand honesty while hiding campaign money.

pattern: it is hypocritical of [sb] to [do]

Diego found his roommate's behavior hypocritical because she complained about noise but played loud music.

pattern: find + noun + hypocritical

Common collocations
  • hypocritical behavior / attitude / statement / stance
  • hypocritical person / politician / speech / promise
  • it is hypocritical of [someone]
  • find [something] hypocritical
  • view / see [something] as hypocritical
Synonyms
  • insincere

    Broader; can describe any lack of genuine feeling (apology, compliment), not specifically moral claims

  • two-faced

    Informal; emphasizes saying different things to different people behind their backs

  • sanctimonious

    Adds the flavour of self-righteous moral display; a sanctimonious person acts morally superior to others

  • deceitful

    Stronger; implies an active intention to mislead or cheat, not just inconsistency

Antonyms
  • sincere

    Straightforward opposite — words and feelings match

  • genuine

    Authentic; not pretending

  • consistent

    Actions align with stated values

Grammar Patterns

it is hypocritical of [someone] to [do something]

find [someone/something] + hypocritical

view/see [something] as hypocritical

Usage Note

Commonly used with the dummy-it construction ('it is hypocritical of somebody to do something') and as a predicative complement ('find/view something as hypocritical'). Also frequent in attributive position before nouns like behavior, statement, attitude, or promise.

Common Mistakes

His actions are hypocritical because they contradict what he said earlier.
His actions are hypocritical because he claims to value honesty but lies to his coworkers.
Being hypocritical requires a gap between claimed moral beliefs and actual behavior, not just any inconsistency.
She is very hypocritical with her friends.
She is very hypocritical toward her friends.
The standard preposition is of (it is hypocritical of her) or toward, not with.

Word family

  • hypocrisy
    nounC2
  • hypocrite
    nounC2
  • hypocritically
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe a gap between what someone says and what is true, but they differ in focus. Hypocritical specifically targets moral claims — a person who preaches honesty but lies is hypocritical. Insincere is broader and less moral in tone; you can give an insincere apology without claiming any virtue. Two-faced (informal) suggests deliberate deception of different audiences — saying one thing to a person's face and the opposite behind their back. Sanctimonious adds theatrical self-righteousness; a sanctimonious person makes a show of being morally superior. Use hypocritical when the contradiction involves claimed principles; two-faced when it involves whom you say what to; and sanctimonious when exaggerated moral display is central.

hypocritical ↗insincere ↗two-facedsanctimonious

Common collocations

Nouns

  • hypocritical behavior
  • hypocritical attitude
  • hypocritical statement
  • hypocritical stance
  • hypocritical person
  • hypocritical speech
  • hypocritical promise

Adverbs

  • deeply hypocritical
  • utterly hypocritical
  • somewhat hypocritical
  • so hypocritical

Phrases

  • it is hypocritical to [do]
  • find [something] hypocritical
  • view / see [something] as hypocritical

Prepositions

  • hypocritical of [someone]

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Hypocritical comes through Latin and Old French from Greek hypokritēs, which meant 'an actor on stage' — someone who wore a mask and played a part. Over time the word shifted from acting to the idea of pretending to be what you are not, especially in moral matters. The prefix hypo- (under, beneath) combines with krinein (to separate, decide), so the original sense was 'one who answers or interprets from behind a mask'.